94 per cent of Afghans rate their lives poorly enough to be considered suffering

Washington [US], February 3 : Ninety-four per cent of Afghans rate their lives poorly enough to be considered suffering, according to the Gallup survey, which emphasised that the percentage was "not only a record high for the country but also the highest Gallup has seen for any country since 2005," said a media report.
The new poll indicates that nearly all Afghans, already tormented by decades of war and poverty, say their living conditions have worsened to the point where they say they are "suffering", reported Voice of America (VOA).
Julie Ray from Gallup said that over 2,000 Afghans ages 15 and up were interviewed in two rounds of questioning which was conducted inside Afghanistan between August 9 and September 29 of last year.
The survey also found that a large number of the male population in Afghanistan believe that women are not treated with respect.
"For the first time in the history of Gallup surveys in Afghanistan, the majority of men in Afghanistan (60 per cent) do not feel that women are treated with respect and dignity," found the poll, according to VOA.
The survey also found that 53 per cent of those Afghans interviewed by the Gallup expressed their desire to leave their country permanently and move to the West.
With regard to the Afghans calling their lives as suffering, Stephen Carter, an Afghanistan expert at the London-based NGO Global Witness, said that people in the Asian nation are absolutely desperate as they are literally facing starvation.
However, the Taliban have rejected the survey and termed it as baseless and misleading.
The Taliban's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday said that spreading baseless reports of disappointments among people is the work of the enemies of Afghanistan.